One of the great mysteries of Internet life is Japan. This country should be Net-crazy. It produces some of the world's best hardware, is quick to exploit new technologies in most walks of life and has an unquenchable passion for gadgets and trends. That should add up to a country that makes cyborgs look like pikers.
Yet only 14 million Japanese -- about 10 percent of the population -- are on the Internet. That might not look so bad, but the comparable figure in the United States is 30 percent, in Australia 23.4 percent, in Singapore 14.7 percent, and in Denmark 22 percent; in Iceland, a whopping 45 percent of the island is online. There are explanations for the ease with which smaller countries get wired, but Japan's lag is still surprising.
What gives? The best explanation for the gap between my expectations and Japanese reality is contained in a new study by DSA Analytics, a Washington-based consultancy. "The Internet User and Online Commerce in Japan, 1999," released last month, is a penetrating analysis of Japan's Netizens and their online behavior.